Milk-bottle cap



P. L. STOHR MILK BOTTLE GAP April 22, 1930.

Filed Oct. 22, 1928 Patented A r. 22, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILLIP 'L. STOHR, OF BELVIDERE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MID-WEST BOTTLE CAP 00., OF BELVIDERE,-ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS MILK-BOTTLE CA]? Application filed October 22, 1928. Serial No. 314,152.

serted into the throat of a bottle and having a marginal portion adapted to cover the top of the bottle.

I have aimed to provide a generally improved cap of this type characterized by its 1 novel construction which promotes certain economies and gives certain practical advantages desirable in this art.

One of the objects is to provide a ca which may be easily and uniformly applied to a milk bottle either by hand operation as'is desired in small dairies or by a capping machine as in larger establishments.

Another object is to so construct the cap as to obtain level, uniform stacking. This is obtained by the shape of the cap characterized by a comparatively narrow rim of inverted U-shape which serves to reinforce the cap and prevent Warping and distortion tendencies and which provides a stiff side wall designed to be engaged by the feed shuttle of a capping machine, whereby to enable positive and accurate feeding of the caps- This feature benefits the dairyman because it overcomes capping troubles incidental to prior caps of the type referred to.

Another object is to provide a cap of said type which will have an effective seal against the top of the bottle as well as in the throat, which seal will not be broken by ordinary handling or contacts. This top seal is effected by the inverted U-shaped rim and is due in part to the character of the inner wall portion thereof which is free from any extraneous fold and is put under tension by displacement of the outer wall portion by the capping operation, this tension serving to hold the said outer wall portion down against the top of the bottle in tight sealing contact therewith. This feature is of special benefit to the consumer, that is, the purchasing public, because it insures a sanitary cover and seal. 1

Another object is to so construct the cap that there is no need to bottom on the shoulder' in the throat of a standard milk bottle when applying the cap. This shoulder varies in depth and shape in different makes of bottles and these conditions have been disturbing factors in the design and use of previous caps. Still another object is to provide a sanitary milk bottle cap so constructed as to permit of manufacture by simple operations with minimum material and with a resultant uniformity of product and at a comparatively low cost. This permits sale of the cap at a. reason;

ably low price and is a benefit, not only to the cap manufacturer and the. dairymanfbut also to the public, since it promotes more-extensive use of these caps with their attendant advantages. Y

Other objects and resulting advantages will become evident to thoseskilled in the art from the description and drawings in which+ Figure 1 is a double size view of a portion of a stack of caps with a section broken away to show the structure of the caps and the manner of stackingand nesting; and

Fig. 2 is a double size section through the neck of a milk bottle equipped with a cap ac-.

cording to my invention.

A cap of the kind described is designed to serve not merely as a closure or stopper for the bottle but is also intended to prevent the milk from being contaminated while being discharged from the bottle. The ordinary flat disc cap is inserted into the throat of the bottle and'forced down upon the shoulder 8 of the bottle. This leaves a portion of the throat exposed and produces a sharp corner or crevice between the edge of the disc and the inner surface of the throat. This might not be serious were it not for the fact that during delivery ice is often placed upon the upright. bottles where it melts and fills the throats, collecting dirt, carrying impurities into the crevices, and, where the caps are not complete- 1y tight,"running into the milk below.

To remedy this several types of caps have been developed, the use of each of which has Gil pensive because of the large amount of material required in making them and the labor incident to their application. Another type is a cap extending out over the roll of the bottle. This type has not proven satisfactory because of the ease with which the cap may be accidentally removed during handling, which has been partly due, perhaps, to the fact that the cap extended'so far out over the roll that it was caught by the fingers in handling the bottle, and partlydue to the fact that there was no means provided for holding its edge firmly down against the top of the bottle. Still another type has a marginal flange folded inwardly over a central disc and then outwardly upon the folded in portion with the marginal portion shaped to fit the curved top of the bottle. To apply this cap, its marginal flange isseated and held on the top of the bottle and the central part is pressed down until'it seats against the shoulder. In this operation the folded part opens downwardly in a bellows-like action according to the depth of the shoulder. This type of cap is comparatively costly to manufacture, is subject to capping difliculties, and its shaped marginal flange does not make a satisfactory top seal.

I have produced a cap which covers the top of the bottle in a sanitary manner and yet is not subject to the objections of other caps of this kind. The cap is preferably but not necessarily made from two pulp board discs 6 and 7, the former providing the main body portion and the latter serving as a reenforeement. The outer or larger disc is characterized by a central circular portion and an annular rim of inverted U-shaped cross-section. The cap is pressed from a conditioned iheet of pulp board to the form shown in The annular U-shaped rim in the preferred embodiment will beseen to consist of a substantiall vertical wall portion 9 turned upwardly rom the central body portion 6. At its upper end this wall portion 9 merges into a portion 10 inscribing substantially the are of a circle, from which emerges an outer vertical wall 11, lying practically parallel to the first but terminating at a point preferably coplanar withthe central body portion of the cap. The central portion 6 serves as a closure for the bottle and the slightly heavier and stifi'er disc 7 serves as a reenforcing and wedging member. The disc 7 is preferably of slightly larger diameter than the inner diameter of the annular inner wall 9 and is forcibly pressed into position on the central body 6 with its peripheral edge slightly im pressed in the surface of said inner wall. The arcuate portion 10 permits the caps to be nested together and. stacked in a uniform manner and allows the bottom cap to be easily and smoothly removed from the stack by the feed shuttle of a capping machine. This arcuate portion also permits the caps to be stacked with the central circular portions in close proximity, whereby a relatively small amount of waste space is included. The inverted U-shaped rim serves to reenforce the cap to prevent warping and premature distortion. The outer wall portion of the rim presents a comparatively broad, firm and stiff surface upon which the feed shuttle of a capping machine may bear in removing the lower cap from the stack. In a conventional capping machine the stack of caps is placed in the machine with the bottom cap resting upon the shuttle which reciprocates between a point under the stack and a point over the milk bottle. The ordinary shuttle is equipped with an upstanding. semi-circular flange which on its forward stroke engages the outer wall of the bottom cap and slides it out horizontally from beneath the caps above. The stifi' outer wall of the rim provides an unyielding and uniform surface to be engaged by the feed shuttle; and this feature in connection with the uniform stacking improves capping conditions and eliminates many of the troubles incidental to capping by machinery.

In applying the cap it is positioned either by a feed shuttle in the case of machine capping, or by hand, on the top of a bottle with the depressed central portion 6 in registry with the throat. The central part of the cap is then pressed down into the threat by hand, or by a hand plunger, or by the capping plunger of a capping machine. The central portion of the cap is designed to fit snugly in the throat and to make firm sealing contact therewith. It is not necessary to bottom the cap on the shoulder 8 and the cap is preferably of such dimensionsthat when applied by a capping machine it will not bottom on said shoulder. As the center portion of the cap advances into the throat the outer wall portion of the rim is displaced from its normal position in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig.

2, approximately 90 degrees. This places the fibers of the resultant inner wall of the rim under such tension as to hold the outer portion of the rim tightly down against the top of the bottle, thus effecting a sanitary seal which will not wilt, warp, or become loosened by ordinary exposures, handling, or contacts. A snug, tight fit of the cap in the throat in sealing contact therewith holds the tension of the fibers inv the rim portion and cooperates in maintaining the desired sealing effects. This will be true regardless of variations in the depth of the shoulder 8; for as soon as the central portion enters the throat of the bottle the outer rim begins to bear upon the top of the bottle with iucreasing pressure until the normal cap position shown in Fig. 2 is reached. In this manner itserves as a dirt seal, preventing contaminating materials from gaining access to the interior of the bottle or collecting in cavities and crevices where it would be brought into contact with the milk when pouring.

Those skilled in the art may readily see the beneficial results which naturally follow from my construction. The cost of producing the cap is less than that of other. caps of this kind because of the smaller amount of material used and the simplicity of construction. Particular attention is directed to the sanitary top seal and to the fact. that.

the rim covers that portion of the bottle top over which the milk flows when pouring and does not extend out beyond the roll. These features prevent wilting and displacement of the top edge by exposures and contacts and allow handling of the bottle without danger of accidentally displacing the cap. Attention is also directed to the fact that'the cap is well adapted for both hand and machine capping and, therefore, in addition, to being a sanitary cap, it is practical and economical for use by both large and small dealers of bottled milk.

It is believed that the above description is a full and complete disclosure of the salient features of the invention. While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment,

' I am aware that changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the spirit at scope of the invention expressed in the appended claims, in which I claim:

1. A milk bottle cap comprising a disc of sheet fibrous material having a central body portion designed to fit snugly in the throat of a milk bottle and having an annular rim of inverted U-shape, the inner wall of said rim being free of any extraneous fold, and the outer wall of said rim providing a stiff surface for engagement by the feed shuttle of a capping machine and being designed to be displaced approximately 90 by the capping operation and to be held down against the top of the bottle in sealing contact therewith by the tension of the fibres of the resultant inner wall of the rim.

2. A milk bottle cap comprising a disc of sheet fibrous material having a central body portion designed to fit snugly in the throat of a milk bottle and having an annular rim of narrow inverted U-shape, the inner wall of said rim being free of any extraneous fold,

and the outer wall of said rim being vertical and providing a stiff broad surface for engagement by the feed shuttle of a capping machine and being designed to be displaced approximately 90 by the capping operation and to be held down against the top of the bottle in sealing contact therewith by the tension of the fibres of the resultant inner wall of the rim. 7

3. A milk bottle cap comprising a disc of sheet fibrous material having a central body portion designed to fit snugly in the throat of a milk bottle and having an annular rim of inverted U-shape, the inner wall of said rim being free-of any extraneous fold, and the outer wall of said rim providing a stifi' surface for engagement by the feed shuttle of a capping machine and being designed to be ripheral edge in impression contact with the inner wall of the rim.

4. A milk bottle capcomprising a disc of sheet fibrous material having a central body portion and an annular rim of inverted U- shape of substantially less diameter than that of the roll of a standard milk bottle, the inner wall portion of said rim being free from any extraneous fold, the central portion of the cap being designed to fit snugly in the throat of a milk bottle, and the outer wall portion of said rim being designed to contact at its lower edge against the top of the bottle when applying the cap and to be displaced approximately 90 to an approximately horizontal position into sealing contact along its inner side against the said top of the bottle and to be held in such contact by the tension of the fibres in the resultant inner wall portion of the rim.

5. A milk bottle cap comprising a disc of fibrous material'having a central \body portion designed to fit'snugly in the throat of a milk bottle and having an annular rim of inverted U-shape, the inner wall portion of the rim being freeof any extraneous fold, the outer wall portion of the rim terminating approximately coplanar with said central body portion, whereby each cap will stack uniformly upon another in slightly nested relation, said outer wall portion providing a stiff outside surface for engagement by the feed shuttle of a capping machine and being designed to be displaced by the capping oporation from an approximately upright position in which its lower end contacts against the top of the bottle when applying the cap, to an approximately horizontal position in which its innerside is held tightly against the said top by the tension of the fibres of the resultant inner wall of the rim.

6. A milk bottle cap comprising a disc of sheet fibrous material having a central body portion and an annular rim of inverted U- shape, said rim comprising an inner wall portion turned upwardly from the central body portion, an outer wall portion, and a planar with the central body portion, the Width of said rim being substantially less than the width of the roll of a standard milkbottle, the central portion of the cap being designed to fit snugly in the throat of the bottle, the outer Wall portion being designed to be displaced approximately by the capping operation from its normal position to a sealing position in which its inner side is held down in sealing contact against said top of the bottle by the tension of the fibres of the resultant inner Wall of the rim, the rim normally serving to reinforce and prevent distortion of the cap, and the outer wall portion of the rim normally providing a stifi surface for engagement by the feed shuttle of a capping machine.

In Witness of the foregoing I aflix my sig nature.

PHILLIP L.. STOHR. 

